Chandigarh, May 22
If you think the Punjab police cannot fib before the courts, you are in for a surprise.

The investigating officer of a case not only prevented an accused from joining the investigations allegedly under the pressure of a trainee IPS officer, but also implicated him in another case. And, when he was confronted, the officer tried to “hoodwink” the court.

Taking a serious view of the matter during an anticipatory bail plea’s hearing, Justice Mohinder Pal has directed appropriate action against him before ruling: “I have observed the conduct of sub-inspector Bhag Singh while in court. He not only flouted the orders of this court, but tried to hoodwink the court, when his lies surfaced pursuant to the queries put to him.

“His conduct is unbecoming of a police officer. Let an inquiry in this regard be made in his annual confidential report. The desirability of not posting Bhag Singh on the seat where public dealings are required be considered. A copy of the order be also sent to the home secretary, Punjab, for initiating/taking disciplinary action against SI Bhag Singh”.

Justice Mohinder Pal observed the petitioner was allowed interim anticipatory bail on April 2. When the case came up on May 1, the court directed the petitioner to appear before the investigating officer on May 4, after his counsel alleged Bhag Singh was not allowing his client to join the probe.

The petitioner went to the Banga police station, but was told the IO was away to Nawanshahr courts for evidence in some case.

Thereafter, it was stated the IO picked up the petitioner from his house on May 6 and implicated him under Section 107/151 of the CrPC. He was made to remain in the police station the entire night.

Justice Mohinder Pal asserted: “When he was asked in whose court had he appeared to give evidence on the relevant date, he failed to give the name of the court…. In the same breath, SI Bhag Singh stated, in fact, he was not feeling well on that date and had sent a request to the court concerned…. However, he failed to produce authentic proof in form of medical certificate….” 

Chandigarh, May 22
Punjab government’s much-vaunted Suwidha project has been found wanting by the Punjab Governance Reforms Commission, which has called for an immediate revamp of the existing centres. The commission says the quality of services being provided by them is not up to the mark.

The commission, headed by Dr Pramod Kumar, Director, Institute for Development and Communication, Chandigarh, in its status report on “Delivery of Citizen Services”, has not only called for operationalisation of all 24 services identified for district headquarters, but also the 12 services identified for sub-divisional headquarters.

Apparently, a lot needs to be done as far as the back-end software is concerned. This is yet to be fully used at both district and subdivisional levels and all centres are yet to be networked with the wide area network.

The commission has also recommended that a Suwidha helpline be established and that the status of cases should be made available on website as well as through SMSes and telephone. For the convenience of applicants, it has also been recommended that adequate number of service counters be provided besides a well-furnished hall at all centres. It has also called for empowering officials so that no prior marking of papers is required for arms or driving licences.

Among the administrative reforms recommended by the commission is the need to eliminate affidavits. According to the report, obtaining affidavits is a cumbersome procedure and that local officials seek affidavits for most of the services on one pretext or another. It says since this practice is not proscribed by law, affidavits can be substituted by plain undertakings.

The commission has further recommended that printed verification leaves be used so that papers are not required to be sent to field functionaries just to get their signatures. It also calls for using the electoral database for verification purposes rather than sending photographs to the field functionaries for verification. Similarly, the commission has mooted the use of the Below Poverty Line (BPL) database wherever the income status of a citizen has to be ascertained. It has also been recommended that Suwidha centres be established at the municipal, block and tehsil levels also.

The Suwidha project, which is operational in all districts and subdivisions of the state, has identified 24 services at the district level for delivery through Suwidha centres. The services include arms licences, driving licences, issuance of marriage, birth and death certificates, submission of passport forms and registration of vehicle related services.

Chandigarh, May 22
Around 500 petroleum outlets in Punjab of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. today ran out of diesel and stocks of petrol were reported to be depleting fast, and all because of a stand-off between two public sector oil companies, BPCL and Indian Oil Corporation.

Reports from across the state claimed that almost all BPCL retail outlets in Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Barnala, Patiala, Sangrur, Amritsar, Bathinda and Ferozepur have been affected. Sources informed that though BPCL brought in one rake (one lakh kilo litres) of fuel to Bathinda yesterday in order to ease the supply position, this was consumed yesterday itself.

The supply crisis followed IOC restricting fuel supply to BPCL in the region. Though IOC claims to have released the month’s agreed quota to BPCL, the latter claimed that IOC has restricted supplies to them in Punjab in retaliation to BPCL restricting IOC supplies elsewhere in the country.

All three state run oil marketing companies - IOC, BPCL and HPCL generally enter into stock transfer agreements, wherein they transfer stock to the other in one region, and get the stock back in another region of the country. “BPCL had been taking stocks from IOC here, but had failed to return the stocks to IOC elsewhere. As a result, IOC restricted the supplies to BPCL at its terminals in Jalandhar , Bathinda and Sangrur,” said a top official in BPCL. IOC officials, however, denied that they had stopped supply to BPCL and maintained that the latter had already lifted more quota than it was allowed to under the stock transfer agreement.

A petrol station owner in Nawanshahr informed TNS that for the past ten days he has been getting just 50 per cent of the fuel that is asked for. “Last week, I had sent an indent for eight kilo litres of fuel, but I got just four kilolitres yesterday, which was consumed by the evening. Now my outlet is running dry,” he said, adding that BPCL was forcing its dealers to lift premium fuels because of non availability of normal diesel. Officials in BPCL assured that the matter would be sorted out by early next week.

Jalandhar, May 22
The Manmohan Singh government will be urged to undo the injustice done to Punjab with regard to its development by the previous BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. This was stated by former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Rajinder Kaur Bhattal here today.

Talking to The Tribune at Nurmahal, where she is campaigning in support of Congress candidate for the bypoll Gurbinder Singh Atwal, Bhattal said by giving special tax concessions to hill states to promote industries there, the Vajpayee government, in which Sukhbir Singh Badal was Minister of State for Industries, had laid the foundation of Punjab’s ruin. Major Punjab industrialists shifted base to the hill states. “We will request Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to give Punjab concessions on the pattern of these hill states to promote industry because it is a border state”.

Bhattal said the NDA maha rally at Ludhiana proved costly for Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his Sukhbir, who had taken the initiative to organise the rally. Angry over this act of the Badals, Punjabis in urban and rural areas reacted against the SAD-BJP alliance and voted in the name of Dr Manmohan Singh. No one had thought that the Badals would go to the extent of holding a rally of NDA Chief Ministers and other senior BJP leaders to prevent Manmohan, a highly respected Sikh across the world, from becoming Prime Minister of the country for a second time in a row.

“I fail to understand with what face now Sukhbir asks for a special package from Manmohan, whom he condemned severely in the run-up to the elections,” she said. 

Amritsar, May 22
President of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) Avtar Singh, who had kicked off a row by questioning the credentials of Dr Manmohan Singh as a Sikh during the recent election campaign of the Lok Sabha, today made a U-turn and congratulated him for achieving the distinction of becoming the first Prime Minister after Jawaharlal Nehru to return after completing a full term in office.

Talking to The Tribune, SGPC president, however, confessed that he had preferred LK Advani as Prime Minister over Dr Manmohan Singh due to “political compulsions”. He said “being loyal sepoy of the Shiromani Akali Dal, it was his duty to project BJP’s senior leader Advani as the next PM due to alliance of the SAD-BJP”. He said Dr Manmohan Singh was a “Gursikh” though he had done nothing for Sikhs and Sikhism. Dr Manmohan Singh was like other Sikh Congress leaders, including Giani Zail Singh and Buta Singh, who did not watch the interests of their community, he added.

He, however, rubbished media reports quoting him that “Dr Manmohan Singh is no Sikh”. He said he himself had received the PM in March when he visited the Golden Temple after the heart bypass surgery. He was honoured by Jathedar, Akal Takht, Giani Gurbachan Singh in the sanctum sanctorum. 

Bassi Pathana, May 22
The community-policing scheme, launched with much fanfare by the Punjab government around three years ago, is losing its sheen in various parts of Fatehgarh Sahib district.

Whenever thefts are reported in an area, residents stop contribution of their money (Rs 30 per month) due to which the number of community police officials (CPOs) is reducing.

Senior police officials admitted that the number of CPOs kept on fluctuating and decreased whenever theft incidents increased in a particular area.

According to area residents, there were 21 CPOs deployed in 13 wards of Bassi Pathana when the scheme was launched and now the number has reduced to just six. This happened as the residents stopped paying Rs 1 per day to these CPOs after many theft incidents were reported in the city around two months ago.

The scheme was launched with an aim to replace the chowkidari system and the CPOs were to coordinate with the area police officials before and after duty hours. A CPO earned Rs 2,000 to 2,500 per month and was provided with a stick, torch and uniform.

Fatehgarh Sahib SSP Dr Kaustubh Sharma said the number of CPOs had reduced in some parts of the district and fresh recruitment would be made soon. “The scheme is quite useful and has helped in reducing theft incidents, especially in Sirhind, Amloh and Mandi Gobindgarh areas,” he said. 

Chandigarh, May 22
An emotional appeal by seven-year-old Sharan Sethi, an Indian American, to US President Barack Obama for more money for her public school has Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger describing her as a “big part of our future”.

Sharan, granddaughter of Jasbir Singh Sethi, Director, World Bank, is a grade I student in a public school in Fremont. Early this month, she sent a handwritten letter to the US President saying her state “has run out of money”.

“So next year, we will not have a lot of classes that I love like computer lab, science lab and library. I feel bad because these classes are important for my future. Mr President, I request you to help our public school by giving them more money. I want to make America proud of me,” read the letter.

And a couple of days ago, Sharan’s parents were pleasantly surprised when they received a letter from the Governor of California that was addressed to their daughter.

“Thank you for your fantastic letter about funding for education in this year’s budget. One of the best part of being Governor is hearing from the next generation of California’s leaders, and from your passion, I can already say you will be a big part of our future,” wrote Schwarzenegger.

The Governor admitted that the country was facing an economic crisis and even during these challenging times, education remains one of my top priorities. I have four kids and I understand the important role education plays. Whether you aspire to become a doctor, teacher or even Governor of California, education will help you to be successful in whatever you do,” Schwarzenegger’s letter to Sharan said.

The Governor also informed the seven-year-old grade I student that to help “all of our school districts deal with this budget situation, I am giving them flexibility to choose how to use their money so that they can support classroom instruction and services for students.”

He further wrote that rather than having elected officials make the decisions, “we will empower our education officials to make funding decisions which will give you, our young people, the best possible education.

Chandigarh, May 22
More than a century after the first Taj hotel opened in India, Tata Hotel Resorts and Palaces, part of the Tata group, has bagged the bid for a five-star hotel site in Amritsar, the city of kulche chhole.

The bids were opened at the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) office here yesterday and the Taj Resorts bid was Rs 40 lakh more than the one offered by the Shereton Hotels in collaboration with Blue Coast Hotels and Resorts.

The 3.4-acre hotel site is part of the 32-acre City Centre owned by the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA). Taj will be paying a minimum of Rs 4 crore per annum to the government as the annual concession fee for the land for the next 60 years. The fee will be increased at the rate of 10 per cent every three years. The lease is also extendable by another 30 years.

“Rupees 4 crore is the minimum that the company will have to pay the government annually. However, we also have a revenue sharing option, which we use in case the revenue sharing returns are higher than the annual concession fee. For the first 10 years, the company pays us 6 per cent of the revenue earned, for the next 10 it is 7 per cent and the for the rest of the period it will be 8 per cent,” said Dr SS Sandhu, MD, PIDB.

Tata Realty has already bought over 5.5 acres of the City Centre site during an auction by PUDA some months ago. It intends to set up a family entertainment plaza, including malls and multiplexes. The hotel site picked up by Taj is adjacent to this site.

With almost 9 acres under its combined wing, the Tata group will have a major presence in the Amritsar City Centre. Work on the site is expected to begin in the next few months, added sources.

This is the second five-star hotel site to be given on lease by the Punjab government through the PIDB. A five-star hotel site in Bathinda had been leased out to Vipul Hospitality earlier.

“The Taj coming to Punjab is very good news for the state. We are expecting a similar response for the five-star hotel-cum-convention centre site in Mohali, which is spread over 11 acres. Another prime location we have is the Pincassia tourist resort in Ropar, which has a water front in a thick forest backdrop,” said Sandhu.

Kamahi Devi (Hoshiarpur), May 22
Contrary to the claims of the state government on providing relief to HIV patients, such cases have gone unnoticed.

Shriram Chand (80), a resident of Dadial village, near here, is concerned about the upbringing of his two grandsons who have contracted the HIV virus from their parents. Shriram’s daughter-in-law died of AIDS two years ago and son in 2004.

Talking to The Tribune, Shriram said: “Since I am unable to afford medicines, the boys have to do without medicines most often. Their health has been deteriorating day by day. Both ears of my grandson have developed puss for want of medicines. Puss has also started accumulating in the his arms muscles”.

Though the siblings (aged 12 and 10 years) were tested positive for HIV almost five years ago, when their parents were suffering from the killer disease, a paucity of funds had forced the family to see them dying a slow death.

Their father had caught the infection while he was working with a transport company as a truck driver. The disease subsequently got transmitted to his wife and then to both children.

The disease dragged the family into debts. Their father had to sell his share of the house (a joint property) to his elder brother. Since all family members were HIV positive, they shifted to a piece of land, which they got as a share in ancestral property.

The family started living under a makeshift tin shed and the couple started getting treatment from the Civil Hospital, Dasuya, but it did not help as the disease had crossed the last stage. Both brothers were tested positive for the HIV virus in May, 2007. They are students of Government Primary School, Laher.

The family is virtually at the mercy of neighbours who generally pool in food for the ailing kids. The children have been virtually feeding on the mid-day meal being served to them at their school.

Sangrur, May 22
With the help of the police and by using JCB machines, the district administration today got vacated more than 85 acres of government land from landless labourers in eight villages of the district. This land was forcibly taken by landless labourers under the leadership of the CPI (ML) Liberation during the past three weeks at Dhandholi Kalan, Janal, Gaga, Fatehgarh, Khandebad, Bhutal Kalan, Lehal Kalan, Kal Banjara villages.

The police reportedly used force and even resorted to mild lathicharge at some places when the labourers opposed their removal from there and demolition of their temporary shelters with JCB machines. The Dirba police also arrested nine persons from Dhandholi Kalan and Janal villages for criminal tresspass and assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty etc.

District secretary, CPI (ML) Liberation, Harbhagwan Bhikhi and district president, Mazdoor Mukti Morcha, Pargat Singh Bir said the landless labourers had no other option, except to forcibly take government land, as the SAD-BJP government was not implementing the promise that it would give 10-marla plots for constructing houses.

Moonak and Lehragaga SDM RPS Walia said the police had held only 70 persons who were let off later as they had tendered an apology. 

Chandigarh, May 22
The Punjab State Human Rights Commission yesterday sought reports by July 9 from the Secretary, Ministry of Railways, the General Manager, Northern Railway, Delhi, and the Punjab Chief Secretary regarding the death of seven schoolchildren in the van-train accident at Bilga on Wednesday.

Taking cognisance of another news report carried in The Tribune, “Punjab cop does a Bihar” reported from Bathinda, the commission sought a comprehensive report on the incident from the SSP, Bathinda, by June 22. — TNS